Aquatic toy



G. W. AND C. H. BUDDE.

AQUATIC TOY. APPLICATION FILED (EB. 3,1919- Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

' INVENTORS George W ,Bua'a'e Char/ea H. .Bua'de ATTORNEY THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPII co.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

GEORGE W. BUDDEAND CHARLES H. BUDDE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AQUATIC TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7,1919.

Application filed February 3, 1919. Serial No. 274,598."

alternate occlusion and escape of air carried under pressure by the device will cause the same alternately to rise to the surface and sink to the bottom of a body of water.

The invention finds its ,most attractive embodiment in a toy submarine boat, and such embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying, drawing; but the invention may equally well be embodied in other devicesysuch, for example, as toy divers, fish, animals, and the like.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a toy submarine provided with our'inventionandlying at, or near the surface of the water; V V

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the submarine in the position it assumes as it starts to submerge;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;and v Fig. 4 is a broken sectional view of the upper portion of the device showing amodification.

Referrin meral 1 indi made of any thin sheet metal such as tin.

At any suitable point this cylinder is provided wlth an air valve 2 to which an-ordinow to the drawing the nunary bicycle pump may be attached for the purpose of filling the cylinder 1 with compressed air. On its upper side near one end the cylinder 1 has secured therein a tube 3 having a small orifice 4 for the escape of air. Secured at a suitable distance above the top of the cylinder 1 by means of metal plates 5, 6 located,'respectively, at the sides the rear end thereof, 'as indicated in" Figs.

1 and 2. The air tra 7 is so positioned that-the lower edges 0 itszslde' walls care cates a cylinder which be parallel with the top of the cylinder 1 while the top 9 inclines downwardly from the front to the rear of the trap. As shown in Fig. 3, the trough is opened. on its under side throughout its length and at itsrear end, but it is closed atthe forward end as indicated at 10. To maintain the device in an upright position we support from hangers l1 pending from thecylinder 1 near the 'ends thereof, a keel 12,which is merely a strip of metal, or other substance, for

weighting the bottom of the cylinder 1. It I is not necessary that the keel, or weight 12 should be supported below the tank 1, as

the bottom of said tan; itself can be weightt ed, or, in the case of the device shown in the drawing, the bottom or keel of the vessel itself could be weighted; In applying our invention to a tin submarine thecylinder 1 is mounted in the upperportion of a hull 13 and the cylinder'has mountednear its forward end an imitation periscope 1 1 which, however, doesnot communicate with the interior of the cylinder 1, the latter being a1r tight except for the opening controlled by the valve 2, and the orificefl4 for the escape of air. j j

In the operation of the device shownin Figs. 1 and 2,the cylinder 1 is filled with compressed air by; means of a bicycle pump,

or the like, attached to 'the valve 2, and it is then placed in the water contained, for example, in a washtub, bath tub, fountain, or aquarium. The weight of the device Will cause it to sink slowly to the bottom. As air escapes from theorifice 4, the bubbles formed will congregate in the forward part of thetrap 7, and will,after a little while,

causethe boatto rise, so that'the' peri'scope 14 Wlll project above the surface of the water and the trap 7 will liefon, or' slightly above the surface. As the escape ofair continues, the bubbles will be forced toward the rearfof the trap 7 by" the pressure formed by successive bubbles of air and as they move to the. rear end of 'saidtrap they will cause said rear end to beelevated, as

shown by -Fig.-2, thus allowing all of the air occluded bythe trap toescape, thebuoy ancy of thedevice will" thus be destroyed, and it: will again sinkbeneath the 'water. A device slightly larger thanthat shown in the drawing andimadewby usha'sin actual practice" continuedvto alternately rise and submerge over a period varying from six to eight-hours with ehargeof am i In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the

trap 7 is pivotally mounted at its forward end in the .upper ends of standards 15 by means of pivot pins 16, or in any other pre ferred manner, the forward end being supported a slight distance above the top of the cylinder 1 and the rear end resting on the top of said cylinder. The operation with this modified construction is substantially the same as described above, except that when the air bubbles collect under the trap 7 the rear end of the latter .will in time be raised, the trap, as a whole, turning on the piyots 16 and permitting the bubbles to es- .capc. In this operation the bottom edge of the forward end will engage the top of the cylinder- 1 and limit thenpward move- ;ment of .the rear end of the trap.

sharply-defined or positive movement, in

causing the device to submer e than does v b 7 th rig tr p.

By the size of the orifice 41 the rapidity with which the device will operate may he correspond ngly varied. That is to say, the larger the opening the more rapidly the device will operate. Variations in this regard can also be produced by changing the length of the air trap, especially in the hinged type of the latter. It will be ob- ,vious that change in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts shown will be made according {to the characteriof the de- Vice to which our invention is applied, and that such changes may be made Without departing from the principle of our invention, which may be defined as comprising a hollow body capable of being filled with com pressed air and provided with an orifice for the escape of air, and a trap located above thezupper surface of the body for permitting bubbles of escaped air to collect thereunder to elevate said body, and, as the bubbles are forced to the rearjof the trap by pres sure, causing the trap to be upturned to permit the bubbles to escape, thus destroyitt su me ge. We claim:

ing the buoyancy of the body and allowing 1. An aquatic toy comprising a hollow body capable of ,contaming compressed air and having an escape orifice adapted to be normally submerged in a body of water containing the toy and an'air trap carried by said body above said orifice and provided with an air escape at a. d1stance from said gorifice, whereby said toy .Wl'llbs caused to riseby occlusion of escaped air beneath said trap, and to submerge by the escape of the air from said trap, in alternation.

2. An aquatic toy comprising a hollow body capable of containing compressed air and having an escape orifice adapted to be normally submerged in a body of water containing the toy, and an elongated trap mounted on the upper side of said body and above said orifice, whereby said toy will be caused to rise by occlusion of escaped air beneath said trap and to submerge by the escape of the air from said trap, in alternation. V

3. An aquatic toy comprising a hollow body capable of containing compressed air .andlhaving an escape orifice adapted to be normally submerged in a body of water containing the toy, and an elongated member in the shape of an inverted trough located above said orifice and at a distance from said body and having one end adjacent to said orifice closed and an end farther removed therefrom open, whereby said toy will be caused to rise by occlusion of escaped air beneath said trap and to submerge by the escape of the air from the open end of said trap, in alternation.

4. An aquatic toy comprising a hollow body capable of containing compressed air and having an escape orifice in its-upper side adapted to be normally submerged in a body of water containing the toy, an elongated memberin the form of aninverted trough secured to said body and over said orifice, one end of said member adjacent saidorifice being closed and itsiopposite end farther removed therefrombeing open, said trough inclining downwardly from its closed end to its open end, whereby said toy will be caused to rise by occlusion of escaped air beneath the portion of said member adjacent the closedend and to submerge bythe escape of the air from the open end of said member, in alternation;

5. An aquatic toy comprising a hollow body capable of containing compressed air and provided on its upper side with an escape-orifice adapteddto be normally submerged in a body of water containing the toy, an invertedtrough-shaped member secured to said body above said orifice and having its interior accessible to the water,

said member having an end adjacent said orifice closed and an end farther removed therefrom open, whereby said toy will be i containing the toy, an elongated member in the shape of aninverted-trough secured to said body and located above said orifice and accessible to the water, said member having an end adjacent to said orifice closed and an end farther removed therefrom open whereby said toy will be caused to rise by occlusion of escaped air beneath said member, and to submerge by the escape of the air from the open end thereof, in alternation.

7. An aquatic toy according to claim 6,

in which'the elongated member is pivotally,

merge by the lifting of said trap by pressure of the occluded air to permit the escape of said air, in alternation.

9. An aquatic toy comprising a hollow body capable of containing compressed air and provided with a valved-opening for charging it, and with an escape orifice adapted to be normally submerged in a body of water containing the toy and an air trap carried by said body above said orifice and provided with an air escape at a distance from said orifice, whereby said toy will be caused to rise by occlusion of escaped air beneath said trap, and to submerge by the escape of the air from said trap, in alternation.

set our hands.

GEORGE W. BUDDE. CHARLES H. BUDDE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, Jay addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

